Listen to everyone, read everything, believe nothing unless you can prove it in your own research.

for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance
for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.

If waking is what you desire, and you willfully pursue with means, you will begin understanding as you awake. One still is, so whether one awakes or
sleeps does not matter. What matters is, being.

All Is Vanity
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; ALL IS VANITY!

~ Ecclesiastes 1

"Vanity vanity all is vanity!"

But is it?

Perhaps, there is ONE THING in the world which is not "all vanity"...

"It is more blessed to give than to recieve."

If being truly helpful, whenever and wherever possible, to others, in any and every area of human need, and in pursuit of the deep and fundamental
human desire for progress - becomes our primary purpose, then what might have otherwise been "all vanity" can, and will be transformed, overnight,
into not simply "charity" or blue-blooded "philanthropy" but real and highly effective mutual SALVATION, for BOTH rich AND poor, and for BOTH the
"halves" AND the "halve-nots" alike, and that, my good friends, is a "NWO" of a wholly just and noble pursuit worthy of us all!

And in the final analysis, is there anything else that truly SATISFIES our heart and soul and our innermost heart's desire?

"Vanity vanity ALL IS VANITY!"

or maybe not?!

Maybe, just maybe, there's something ininitely better in store, for everyone, and all is NOT lost...

Time will tell, but now that all or most of "the data" is in, and the "fruits" plainly obvious to one and all, perhaps it already has and there is
nothing, once hidden, which has not already been made known and brought to light...?

If so, it's not such a good time, or place to be, if you happen to be a very rich man with a selfish and hardened heart like Pharaoh before the Exodus
(which surely broke even HIS heart), or worse still, his first-born son!

Karma. It's a real biatch, or, the most beautiful thing in the world to be a part of, and we're all in this together, whether big or small, rich or
poor, wise or foolish - while time and history waits for no man.

"I'll meet you in the middle!"
~ from the movie "Braveheart"

"The son of man came into the world, not to condemn it, but so that through him the world might be saved."
~ Jesus Christ, Jewish Rabbi.

P.S. No, that wasn't "off topic" because we all need to WAKE UP, both as a top down and as a bottom up evolutionary phenomenon.

The 20th Century was the "Century of the Self" but the 21st, in hindisght, will surely be remembered as the century of Human Progress, centred around
both the INDIVIDUAL, and the Human Being as a phenomenon, as a Force of Nature (see Pierre Tielhard de Chardin's "The Phenomenon of Man" for more).

"In God We Trust?"

I wonder what would happen if we really did that, and if all the nations (a single person can be considered a nation unto himself also) discovered
together the true Gateway (clearing) of Heaven, and thus a whole new order of things. I wonder what kind of world is just waiting to be born?

Like anything else in life, knowing is knowing You know you are when it hurts. You dont doubt your are when it doesn't. It is revealed more clearly
when the expected response is bad or painful in some way yet the discomfort doesn't affect the pursuit in its integrity. It would be less painful not
to know, but you constantly find yourself trying to understand how much it hurts. How bad it is. if it is "bad" see it for what it's worth, just as
you would if the pursuit was for "good"

Whether you do it to see the good in some way or to see the misfortune of it in the another, if always you march onward into hell if need be to the
tune of honor and truth, then you can consider yourself awake. Whether that is enough for you on a personal level or it is a maxim you wish to achieve
and then live by so as to imprint upon the world, if you tend to find truth in yourself and others, you are privy to knowledge and that is achieved by
the end result of living "awake".

Originally posted by casenately
Whether you do it to see the good in some way or to see the misfortune of it in the another, if always you march onward into hell if need be to the
tune of honor and truth, then you can consider yourself awake.

I think I understand ie: the willingness to suffer for the cause of righteousness, but i take issue with the word always in that statement,
because there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark or constraining it might seem at the time. God does not march his
servants always into hell that's ridiculous and absurd, and I can tell you from deep personal experience, even recent experience, that it just
doesn't work that way, for those who perservere. There is a blessed RELEASE from suffering, and in the end we march onward into heaven, and that's
the creative space worth living into, both for ourselves and our fellow man and woman, and it takes as much courage to be happy and successful (I
don't mean financially neccessarily by "successful") as it does to suffer, and to suffer needlessly, or unneccessarily, is foolish, in the same way
that feined humility is arrogance in disguise.

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

Final Note:
Just for the record, I am an avid friend, supporter and proponent who is FOR "the groundhog" and the early coming of spring, while wishing to ward off
a swarm of Locusts.

Best Regards, and may God Bless America.

NAM aka Bob

P.S. Some will hate me for this, especially here at ATS of all places, but for whatever it's worth, I would like to hereby offer my "endorsement" in
the upcoming US Presidential election, for the re-election of "Barry" Obama (I feel like I've come to know the guy at some level), and not because
he's not bad, or flawed, as we all are, but simply because I feel that he's a good-hearted man who's doing the best he can, with the cards dealt him
and the resources that are available to him. Although "royally screwed" (lol) like the rest of us, perhaps even moreso than others, I think he's the
guy that's best equipped (right now) to steer the ship of state into new and safer waters, as we all move forward into a new world of bright and
exciting new possibilities for the 21st Century, and beyond.

Although he may have broken the trust, as we all do from time to time, he KNOWS (imo), and he realizes clearly the error and folly of the whole damn
mess and may be in a position to do something positive about it, maybe even something transformative and worthy of his original campaign "meme" of
"hope" and "change"..

In other words, he OWES it to the American people now, to make good on his promises, and so I therefore recommend that he be given that opportunity
and not simply "scapegoated" in ah..."black and white" simplistic terms which refuses to accept the complexity of the historical circumstance
(predicament?) he nows finds himself in.

The USA needs to band together and realize its individual and collective national destiny for greatness, not to "rule the world" as some sort of "Pax
Americana" or Imperialist-Collonialist "empire" ("of old"...) but as the radiant beacon of lighted Hope, Truth, Justice, and Liberty, it was
originally designed to be and to become for the whole world.

He's tried his best (and will surely try harder), so don't fire him now and replace him with one of these other two guys, I just don't think that that
would be the right move at this stage of the game, imho (in truth I'm a Canadian citizen, and won't be even voting myself, so you can take all this
with a "grain of salt" if you like, lol).

And no, I am definitely not kissing any ass here at any level, no that's not what this is about, at all (read between the lines and you'll see).

The USA is important, vital and needed, as a "groundhog" who's already seen his shadow and is thus capable of bringing on and early spring (if it's
the other way around re: see or not see shadow for early spring, who cares since this is just an allegory or a metaphor).

And no, this isn't any sort of secretive "blood oath" of sworn loyalty or any such absurd nonsense (don't be ridiculous, as all such notions are
insane and abhorant to the great "light of life"), nope, just simple, rational, clear-eyed, evaluative discernment, nothing more, nothing less.

"There is nothing now hidden which will not be made known, and brought to light."
~ Jesus Christ, Jewish Rabbi.

We are all of us, rich and poor alike, all in the same boat together in the final analysis, at the end of the day (and the beginning of a new age),
and therefore, for God's sake we all need each other!

Aside (backstage, stage left):
Duh! (facepalm), what were we THINKING!? We were insane, ridiculous, absurd, but not any more.

And so now the real work of REAL LIFE may begin anew, and in earnest, and that's a very beautiful thing, imho.

Onward we must then go, as we at last march boldly (over the royal archway to everlasting life and freedom) into a bright new future for one and all,
where an "enlightened mutual best interest" may become our primary purpose and therefore our wholly just and noble historical pursuit in the spirit of
the very best of our humanity, and even our divinity, as "one nation under God".

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